Why Floyd Mayweather Will Never Agree To A ‘Charity’ Fight With Manny Pacquiao

Earlier this week, Manny Pacqiuao fired back at Floyd Mayweather’s incessant taunting by challenging “Money” to a fight for charity. Pacqiuao said the long-awaited bout between the two should be “for the love of boxing,” which is a bold statement when you reportedly owe tens of millions in back taxes. He was essentially calling Mayweather’s “broke chump” bluff.

Mayweather himself has yet to respond to the challenge, even though Pacman insists he’s serious. But hey, Jeff Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle, has a take on it, if you’re interested!

“All that was a new way of begging for the fight, that’s all that was. Nobody fights for free. … There are two reasons [why the fight never happened]. The first reason is: when Floyd first asked to fight Manny, Manny refused the drug test. The second time, Floyd offered him $40 million — more money than he’s ever seen in his life — and he turned it down because he thought they were equals, on the same playing field. Now you’re in a situation in which you need Floyd. Floyd doesn’t need you, what does he need you for? It happened twice. The fight should have taken place already…

That’s the business side of things. The thing is: Floyd wants to promote a fight where he calls all the shots.”

“Nobody fights for free.” Well, we don’t know about nobody — but Floyd Mayweather doesn’t. In fact, look at what he tweeted out this morning:

Breakfast at a big, empty table, with servants on hand — very telling.

See, it’s not even the cash, in hand, that is so important to Floyd (though that’s always a nice perk) — his net worth is already through the roof. It’s the lifestyle. It’s the opulence. It’s about winning the big purse, your way, with your rules, and getting your money for your job well done. A fight is just a fight — a check with your name on it with a bunch of zeroes is what #TheMoneyTeam is all about.

If there will be a fight, it won’t be for free. Mayweather isn’t interested in not getting paid. Now the question is, just how much will it take for Mayweather to put his legacy on the line?

UPDATE: It’s been over a year since the gauntlet was thrown — now that the fight is officially on, there’s been no word from Mayweather about “donating” anything. Which is a shame, because revenue generated from the fight is estimated to surpass $400 million.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Managing Editor Eric Goldschein was there for the Larry Johnson four-point play and the Jeffrey Maier game. He's a Pitt alum, which means the best part of his college sports experience was tailgating.